All My Sole
by Zerectica
Summary: Alternate Universe. Seeing the happiness of her friends, Sarah wishes for her own. After finally finding her happiness however, she lets it slip through her fingers. One-Shot.


Some quotes were taken directly from Chuck vs. the Lethal Weapon and do not belong to me.

This story is dedicated to fellow member of the Creamy Peanut Butter Cole Barker Fanclub **BR**, who with me dared to use a Sole kiss avatar. You're awesome!

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Security had been breached and they were ready for anything. Guns held at the ready. The door flew open and he stumbled out. "Cole?"

It was evident that he had been through a great deal of torture. Much of his skin was colored red with blood. He could barely stand. He had to press his hands against the inside of the door frame on either side, just to hold himself up.

"Take this," Sarah said as she handed her gun to Casey, so she could rush to his aid.

Reaching his side, the first words he uttered were directed solely at her. "Did you miss me?"

He then followed those words up with ones directed at the whole team, words that would bring them relief. "Don't worry. I didn't say a word." He then immediately collapsed as Sarah tried to hold him up.

In the interrogation room, Sarah was completely professional as she questioned him. It was imperative that they know what had occurred while he was in Fulcrum hands. Their very lives depended on it.

He reassured her, as well as Chuck and Casey, who were watching from outside, that the identity of the intersect had not been compromised. "If I talked then Chuck, Casey..." the tone in his voice changed as he looked into her eyes and said, "...you" The gentle softness with which he spoke the word showed that he held special concern for her safety. "All in the cross-hairs. Not an option."

When she asked him why he had returned to Castle after his escape, Cole again showed his concern for Sarah. "I wanted to make sure you were safe."

At hearing Cole's words, Sarah's eyes softened an almost imperceptible amount and her breath hitched just a bit in her throat.

That evening after arriving at the consulate party, Sarah confirmed with Cole, who was back at Castle that the video feed was working. At that time Cole also took the opportunity to compliment Sarah on her stunning beauty. "You look fantastic. Sarah, is that dress CIA issue or do you just make everything look that good?"

While such a compliment was not something she would normally respond to, Sarah couldn't hold back the smile that crept onto her face. Cole was quite charming and she couldn't deny that she found his British accent sexy. And she couldn't help but be impressed with the helpful information he provided her with regarding the Italian minister of trade.

Shortly thereafter, things took a turn for the worse when the feed to Castle was jammed and she and Casey were captured by Fulcrum. They weren't left in that predicament for too long however. Chuck's misplaced attempt at heroism provided Sarah and Casey with the upper hand they needed to take down the rogue agents.

While Casey was tending to Chuck, who had gotten his leg caught by a window pane, Sarah ran off in search of the doctor. When she reached the top of the stairwell, she found a gun aimed directly at her. She instantly knew that she was in real trouble and all she could do now was hope for the best.

Just as the bullet was about to hit her, she was tackled to the ground. Rolling on the floor, she finally came to rest on her back with Cole on top of her. He had just saved her life.

Although he had saved her, Cole felt the need to apologize for roughly throwing her to the floor. That's when it happened. As their bodies lie against one another in an intimate manner, their eyes met. Sarah suddenly found that she couldn't breathe. She could feel the heat radiating off her body and his as well. The moment was intense and Sarah was overcome by an overwhelming desire to meet his lips in a frenzied kiss. The moment was shattered however, when she felt the distinct warm, sticky sensation of blood dripping onto her skin.

Realizing that Cole had been shot, Sarah knew that she had to help him. Forgetting her desires, Sarah quickly flipped around to briefly inspect the wound then began applying pressure to it to stop the flow of his crimson blood.

Even in this serious situation, Sarah found that she could not keep her eyes off Cole. She tried to concentrate her attention on the wound, but her eyes kept drifting to Cole's face. The second time they were diverted from the hole left by the bullet, she was met with his eyes looking into hers. The connection she felt this time was stronger than it had been moments before. No one had ever taken a bullet to save her before. No one ever held her life in higher regard than their own. It made her feel that her life actually had value.

Back at Castle, Sarah proceeded to give Cole the medical attention he needed for his shoulder. After cleaning the wound and removing the bullet, it was time for the bandage. As Sarah readied to apply the bandage, their eyes met for the third time. It was impossible for Sarah and Cole to look into the other's eyes and not experience a deep emotional connection.

Cole leaned closer to Sarah's face as he took a deep breath. When he exhaled, Sarah could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips. The feeling sent shockwaves to her heart and her own breath got caught in her throat. "Thank you for saving my life."

Sarah slowly moved her face even closer to Cole, fueled by her pounding heart to kiss him, but again the spell was broken, this time by a sound. They were being interrupted. There was a meeting with the General in five minutes.

At the briefing, they had to remain professional. So it was quite awhile before they had any time to themselves again. That time came when Sarah needed to tend to Cole's bullet wound again. Every time she looked at the wound, she couldn't help but think that she should be the one with a bullet hole in her body, possibly even dead, but he didn't let that happen to her. He had accepted the bullet in her place. The fact that he would do such a thing, truly warmed her heart.

Sarah had no time for personal matters now however, because she had to leave as soon as she was finished tending to the injury. As she was preparing to go, Cole stopped her. "You know, I meant what I said earlier about being around people who really care about you and who you really care about. It doesn't happen often for people like us."

Sarah was breathing deeply. Why is it that she could never breathe normally when he spoke to her? How could this man she had only known for a couple of days affect her so? Finding her voice, Sarah answered Cole's question. "No, it doesn't."

Feeling too distant from her, Cole sat up. Their faces in close proximity again. "And if we're lucky enough to find that person?"

Sarah couldn't stay. She and Casey had work to do. They needed to get to the airport quickly. She couldn't look at him. She was unable to resist his eyes. Casting her eyes toward the floor, she whispered. "I have to go." She immediately turned and walked away, as her heart broke a little.

Learning that Dr. Busgang had headed to his office and not the airport, Casey, Sarah and Cole went after him. They couldn't let the doctor get away they needed information from him and Chuck would be at Busgang's office as well. He had ignored Casey and followed the doctor.

As important as Busgang was, Chuck was even more to the government. He held all their secrets in his head. In addition to his governmental worth, he also held a special importance to Sarah, Casey and now Cole. He was a friend. He was also a good, decent person and unlike them, he had family and friends. There was Ellie, Morgan and his fiancée Lou, just to name a few. As much as they wanted to take Dr. Busgang in, they wanted to make sure Chuck was safe even more.

Arriving at Busgang's office, the team split up. Cole was the first to locate Chuck. Together they managed to temporarily disable the Fulcrum agent but, when the gun got away from them they lost their advantage and were now on the ground staring up at the barrel of a gun.

Upon entering the Constellation Science room, Sarah put a bullet in the back of the man who was standing over Chuck and Cole with a gun, the same man who had held a gun on her earlier. After eliminating the threat, Sarah ran to them and knelt on the ground.

Once she made sure that Chuck was okay, she turned her attention to Cole, who had been shot for a second time. Sarah held back the urge to touch his face when she asked him if he was okay. Instead, she settled for the magical feeling of looking into his gorgeous eyes.

Cole returned the look Sarah gave him and both started breathing heavily due to their close proximity. Sarah leaned a little closer to Cole and her hair brushed his shoulder. The sensation of her hair on his shoulder sent a spark of electricity throughout his body. "I guess now it's my turn to thank you for saving my life." Sarah simply smiled while a faint tint of pink grew on her cheeks.

Their mission complete, Cole was being provided with a flight back to the UK. He and Sarah would be forced apart. Chuck and Casey left the two alone in Castle so they could say their goodbyes.

Sarah and Cole stood together below the Orange Orange, unable to look at each other. They lingered in silence for a few minutes before Cole finally lifted his eyes to her face and spoke. "No one else is ever gonna make me feel the way you do. Believe me. I've looked. And if we're lucky enough to find that person, we can't just walk away. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."

Looking into Cole's eyes now, Sarah tried to keep her tears at bay. He was right. It wouldn't be fair. "No, it wouldn't"

Cole and Sarah stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before Cole held out his hand. "Well then darling, our jet awaits."

Sarah hesitated. She obviously had feelings for this man, but she was afraid of having her heart broken. It had happened before, many times. Actually, every guy she ever gave a chance had hurt her. She didn't want that to happen again.

Sarah's voice came out as a low trembling whisper. "I'm sorry. I can't."

This time she couldn't hold back the tears and one pushed its way out of the corner of her right eye and ran down her check. She didn't even bother washing it away. It would serve no purpose. If she wiped that one away, another would just fill its place. Sarah then dropped her head and walked away.

Cole didn't understand Sarah's actions. He was certain that she had felt the same as he did. So why was she walking away from it? He wanted to stop her, but he respected her decision. He wasn't going to force the issue. Maybe he was mistaken. Maybe he was reading more into the situation than was really there. Maybe the feelings just weren't there for her. Cole turned to go up the stairs and walked out of Castle and Sarah's life.

That evening back in her apartment, Sarah sat curled up on her bed. She couldn't sleep. Both her heart and mind were a mess. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had never felt for anyone what she felt for Cole. Even in the brief time that she had known him she had been able to tell that there was something special between them. How could she have been so stupid? Why did she let him walk out of her life? He was back in his home country now and she would never see him again.

Say lay awake all night, thinking about Cole, getting not even a moment's rest. She thought about his gorgeous eyes. She remembered how if felt to look deep into them and lose herself. She thought about his voice and how every word he spoke could melt her heart. She thought about the way he could make her lose her breath just by being near him. Finally she thought about how she felt now that he was gone. Cold. Sad. Alone. Lonely. Empty. Lost.

The team's next mission wasn't until a week later, but even through all that time Sarah was still deeply affected her decision to brush Cole off. Since he disappeared from her life, Sarah couldn't seem to concentrate on a task, which is what led to her careless mistake on the job. She forgot to assess her environment. She didn't look for potential threats. Even the most rookie of agents knew to always examine their surroundings and scan for possible enemies and yet, she, a top CIA agent failed to do this. That's how Sarah Walker ended up taking a bullet to the chest.

Awaking after her surgery, Sarah momentarily thought she saw Cole by her bedside, but she knew in less than a one full second that it was only her mind playing tricks on her. He wasn't there. He was gone. He wasn't ever coming back. She had turned him away.

Not only was Cole not there, but no one was. Casey was never the type to show feelings for anyone. Chuck was probably off somewhere with Lou. There was no one in her life that would be there for her in a time like this. With Cole now gone, she feared she would always be alone.

Alone with only her thoughts and the beeping of machinery, Sarah's mind drifted to the past. Her mind locked on one event in particular, the kiss she and Cole shared in Castle.

_Cole grabs her arm and sends her spinning back into his orbit. Their bodies collide with one another, causing both to release a shuddering breath. Her eyes lock with his and she can feel the mutual attraction. Her eyes then drop their focus to his enticing lips. She concentrates on them for a moment before she forces herself to turn away. But Cole isn't going to let her off that easy, he moves his face to hers and soon once again they are focused on each other. Cole licks his upper lip to prepare for the inevitable kiss. _

_Her eyes again find his lips, only this time, she can't break the spell, nor does she want to and another shudder of her breath escapes her. Fueled by desire, she and Cole move toward each other. Their lips, tongues, whole mouths meet and it's magic. It's unlike anything she's ever experienced before. The taste of him is intoxicating and his sentiments seem to be the same. It only adds to the fire, and the passion-filled kiss continues. _

_She wants to touch him and her hand finds his shoulder, but a moment later it's on his face. Cole then really leans into the kiss and it bends her backwards. Another few seconds and the bond of their lips finally breaks and neither can breathe. The foreheads now leaning into one another, she slowly drops her hand from his face and she briefly pats his leather jacket clad shoulder. As Cole turns away, they say goodbye. _

_Too deeply affected by his kiss, she is unable to watch him leave. She turns her head and it comes to rest on her shoulder. The sensation of the kiss still fresh on her lips, she revels in it with a hidden smile. Instantly without thought, she touches her fingers to her lips. For a long while she is unable to move, Cole's kiss has made her powerless._

Reminiscing about Cole's kiss made Sarah forget about the pain in her chest, but now that the memory had been played through, she felt the pain in full force. She couldn't sit up. She couldn't even lift her head off the pillow. Lying there unable to shift around even a little, without experiencing debilitating pain, Sarah closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

When she woke several hours later, the first thing Sarah noticed was a bouquet of flowers and a get well balloon. Someone had come to see her while she was sleeping. Looking to the other side of the bed, she saw that she was no longer alone. Upon seeing her visitors, Sarah realized that they must have been the ones to bring her the balloon and flowers. Chuck and his fiancée were sitting together in one of the chairs in her room. Chuck actually in the chair, while Lou sat comfortably in his lap with her head against his chest; eyes closed, probably asleep.

Sarah found it to be both an adorable and heartbreaking sight at the same time. Adorable, because Lou's tiny frame fit so easily in his lap. Heartbreaking, because she didn't have anyone who would hold her, love her, treasure her. She didn't have what they had.

Looking toward the hospital bed, Chuck noticed that Sarah's eyes were open. She was awake.

"Hey Sarah," Chuck whispered, not wanting to wake Lou. "How are you feeling?"

Chuck's efforts appeared to for naught however, because Lou woke when he shifted slightly in the chair. "Hi Sarah."

"Hi," Sarah responded weakly, but didn't elaborate any further.

Hearing Sarah's weak reply, both Chuck and Lou got up from the chair to stand by the bed of their friend. When they reached the edge of her bed, Sarah tried to sit up, but her face contorted with pain. Chuck and Lou, gently pushed her back down until her head was once again resting on the pillow.

"Sarah, you've just come out of surgery after being shot. You shouldn't be trying to sit up."

"Chuck's right. You need your rest."

Chuck and Lou only stayed at the hospital a few minutes more. After talking with Sarah for a bit about how she was doing, they left her to get some rest.

Once Sarah was released from the hospital, Lou took Sarah to her eating establishment, 'Lou's Gourmet Italian Deli,' in order to get some _real_ food. She was sure Sarah was tired of all that hospital food she had been eating for every meal lately. No one could stand that stuff for too long.

Lou wanted to make sure Sarah got an amazing sandwich so she pulled on an apron, washed her hands and got behind the counter in order to make it herself. "I'm going to make you something special. Any preferences?"

Sarah barely mumbled a "no"

Lou could tell that Sarah was still depressed by the whole Cole thing and wanted to try her best to cheer her up. The first step would be a delicious sandwich.

"Okay then. How about I make you something?"

Sarah simply nodded her head slightly.

Lou grabbed a ciabatta roll and sliced it lengthwise. She laid the top half aside for now to add the ingredients to the bottom half. First, Lou picked up two handfuls of shredded iceberg lettuce and layered them all along the bottom of the roll. She then added some tomato slices and then sprinkled on some salt and pepper. Next, she added several slices of hard salami. After that she grabbed rings of red onion and green peppers and added them to the sandwich. Slices of ham, were the next to be added. Then came a dash of red pepper flakes and thin slices of mozzarella cheese. She then added capacolla and topped it off with some fresh basil leaves. Finally, she drizzled the entire sandwich with an Italian vinaigrette. Her creation now complete, Lou grabbed the top half of the bread, which she had put aside earlier and capped the sandwich. Lastly, she cut the sandwich in half along the diagonal.

Lou then made the same sandwich again for herself, only hers included black olives which she knew Sarah didn't like and therefore left them off hers. Once her sandwich was done, Lou tossed her gloves aside and carried the two sandwiches over to the table where Sarah had plopped herself down.

"So," Lou began after they had been eating for a few minutes. "You are still planning on being on of my bridesmaid's in my wedding aren't you?"

"Yeah," Sarah responded unenthusiastically, while looking out the Deli's window, not really paying attention.

"Sarah!" Lou stressed trying to get the blonde's attention. Sarah snapped out of her daze and looked to the smaller brunette. Once Lou was sure she had Sarah's attention she repeated her question in broken sentences. You? My wedding? Bridesmaid?

Sarah's response was more energetic this time. "Oh, yeah of course. I'm sorry. I'm just..."

"Yeah. I know," Lou said in a comforting tone as she briefly laid her hand on Sarah's. "You really miss him don't you?"

The mention of Cole made Sarah's eyes a touch watery and Lou had her answer. She also took it as a clue to change the topic of discussion.

"What do you think of the sandwich? It's a new creation I just tried out today and I'd like your opinion on it? Would you eat it again? Do I need to add or change anything to make it better?"

"Oh, it's delicious, Lou. Definitely a keeper."

Lou smiled and the rest of the meal was enjoyed in a comfortable silence.

About a month after Sarah's release from the hospital, the day of Chuck and Lou's wedding had arrived. Sarah sometimes still felt a slight twinge of pain every now and then, but she was mostly recovered from her gunshot wound. What she hadn't recovered from was saying goodbye to Cole. Her heart still ached constantly from that. She had to forget about her pain though, both from her recovering bullet wound and her non-recovering heart. Today wasn't about her. It was about Lou and Chuck. She wasn't going to do anything to drag this special day down, so Sarah blocked the hurt from her mind and put a smile on her face.

The wedding was to be held in a large fanciful church. All the women shared one large dressing room, while the men shared another. The girls were all fussing over each other to make sure everyone looked perfect. The most attention of course being paid to the bride who wore, a white, allover beaded lace trumpet gown with an empire waist and cap sleeves. The back had a low v-cut and a chapel train. Her long brown locks were in loose waves with tiny white flowers scattered throughout.

All the bridesmaids wore powder blue satin strapless princess line gowns with an ivory set in neckline band and a cinched ivory waistband with rhinestone buttons. Their hair was all done up in simple, messy buns, with a few bits in front left loose to frame the face.

After what seemed forever, Chuck and Lou were finally ready to say their vows to one another. Chuck was first. "I, Chuck, take you, Lou, to be my beloved wife, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life."

With a smile he slipped the ring on her finger and now Lou's turn had come. "I, Lou, take you, Chuck, to be my beloved husband, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life."

After the cake cutting, the first dance, the bouquet toss and all the other traditional wedding reception events, Sarah slunk away from the group and sank down into a chair. She leaned her elbow on the table and propped her head up on her hand. The wedding over, her gloomy mood had returned.

Sarah had no longer got settled when someone tried to bother her. Someone lightly tapped her shoulder. "Go away Chuck, Casey or whoever you are. I'm not interested!"

The tapper didn't listen and repeated the action. Now angry, Sarah turned around determined to give whoever a piece of her mind and maybe a good swift kick to the shin as well. When she turned around however, she nearly fell over the chair in shock. Cole was standing right in front of her.

He didn't even get a chance to open his mouth before Sarah threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Shocked, Cole nearly stumbled backward himself. Cole's shock didn't last long though, after all this is what he had come back for, another attempt to win Sarah's heart.

Sarah opened her mouth and Cole opened his, then the kiss really took off. Sarah unhooked her arms from his neck and laid one hand gently across his face. She takes the other and grabs onto the lapel of the elegant tuxedo he was wearing. Cole's hands are in her hair and her once stylish messy bun, has fallen out, the elastic band barely clinging to her hair. The whole room has stopped to watch the sweet reunion of two people meant to be.

Sarah and Cole finally part lips, in order to take a breath. They separated only slightly, their foreheads touching. Both were drawing deep ragged breaths. Sometime during their ragged breathing Sarah let a "wow!" escape her mouth.

To which Cole responded with a ragged, "agreed."

When they finally managed to catch their breath, Cole pulled far enough away from Sarah so that he could see into her eyes. "Now love, would you care to dance?"

Cole held his hand out, palm upward and Sarah took it with a smile and a nod. Together they strolled out onto the dance floor, Cole spinning Sarah into him, once they had reached an empty space.

Sarah now held in a bend, in Cole's arms, their eyes found each other. The connection they felt the first time it happened was so much stronger now. They stood unmoving, gazing into each other's eyes for several minutes, but it had seemed as though it had only been mere seconds when they finally pulled away and Cole returned Sarah to her feet.

They stood together while they waited on the current song to end and for the next to begin. During the waiting period, Sarah also took a quick minute to redo her hair, which was now all over the place as a result of that very heated kiss. Sarah had just enough time to fix her hair before the new song began. The music that played for their dance was the Tango. Cole took Sarah into his arms, holding her in the Tango position.

Both Sarah and Cole were quite adept at dancing and the Tango was an unknown favorite of the pair. The result was quite dazzling. People who had been tangoing, stopped less than a minute into the dance, after seeing the spectacular performance of the beautiful bridesmaid in blue and the dashing surprise visitor in the expensive-looking tux.

The dips were sensational and the spins were awe-inspiring. The dance itself was filled with so much raw passion, that some of the guests feared that the sprinkler system would be activated. The Tango ended in a dip so low, that Sarah's head almost made contact with the floor.

The entire room erupted in a roar of applause. Neither Cole nor Sarah heard it however, because they were so focused on each other. They could only hear the sounds of their beating hearts as they held each other close and gazed into the mesmerizing eyes of the one they loved.

They held together like that for nearly ten minutes, so completely lost in one another. They stood so still for so long, that a painter could have painted them. A sculptor could've sculpted them. The way they held each other was also so perfect, that any artist would have created a masterpiece had they been witness.

Sarah and Cole knew that this is where they belonged and they never intended to lose each other again. This time it was forever. He was hers and she was his. Cole closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss Sarah once again.


End file.
